THUNDER: Marshall's season over; Nuding will get the ball in Game 5

TRENTON — If the Eastern League Championship Series gets to a decisive Game 5, the Thunder will entrust their dreams of a title to Zach Nuding – who would be making his Thunder debut.

That’s because Brett Marshall, the team’s ace, has been shut down. He threw 171 1/3 innings this season, 30 more than his previous career high, and the Yankees decided that was enough for just about their only pitching prospect to avoid injury this year.

Because Nuding missed about a month with fatigue in his throwing shoulder, his innings count is at just 100. He hasn’t pitched since Aug. 31 in Tampa, and will continue his season later this month in the Arizona Fall League.

Despite the layoff, Nuding says he’d be ready to take the ball if the series gets that far, circumstances and all.

“If it goes to Game 5, I have faith in myself because I know they have faith in me,” he said, “or else they wouldn’t have put me in that situation. … It’ll be a pressure situation because it’s the end of the season, but I feel like I have faith in myself in that situation even more so because, like I said, they have faith in me.”

•••Tyler Austin’s sore ankle caused a bit of a pre-game whirlwind on Friday. When the lineups were announced at around 3 p.m., Austin was on the bench and Kevin Mahoney was at first.

By the time the media talked with manager Tony Franklin during his standard media session, Austin had been cleared by the team’s medical staff and was in the lineup again.

“It’s a sore ankle. Just been sore,” Austin said at around 5:45. “It’s nothing bad. Got some imaging. Just been sore, it’s precautionary.”

About 30 minutes before game time, something changed and Austin and Mahoney had swapped again. No reason for the change was given, but it almost certainly had something to do with the ankle – which was wrapped and iced after Game 2 on Wednesday – barking again.

•••No matter whether it was Austin or Mahoney who sat, one thing was certain: Walter Ibarra, benched for the first two games of the series, was starting at second base.

Ostensibly, the move was made for two reasons. First, Ibarra is a superior defender. Second, he’s one of the few players on the roster who hits lefties. In 36 at-bats against left-handers, Ibarra hit .306 with on-base and slugging percentages of .342 and .556. Those numbers came in handy with southpaw T.J. House scheduled to relieve rehabbing big leaguer Carlos Carrasco in the third inning.

“Ibarra’s in there because a lefty’s pitching,” manager Tony Franklin said. “We’re trying to maximize everything we’ve got. The matchup is lefty tonight, so I thought I’d go with Ibarra tonight.”